Modeling the star formation history in the ring galaxy Arp 10 with the help of spectral indices

Abstract

We use long-slit spectra obtained with the 6-m telescope BTA (Russian Academy of Sciences) to investigate the history of star formation in the peculiar ring galaxy Arp 10. The radial distributions of quasi-Lick spectral indices are calculated from the observed spectra and are compared with the model spectra, the latter are generated using the Starburst99 population synthesis code. Our model includes an outward propagating density wave which triggers star formation in the gas disk, and an old stellar disk. The metallicity of both old and young stellar populations is a function of radius. We show that a mix of the young and old populations is required to explain the radial distribution of the spectral indices. The density wave propagates outward with a moderate speed (of order 40 km/s), and the metallicities of both young and old populations decrease with the radius. The model indices corresponding to the alpha-elements require somewhat higher metallicities as compared to the Fe-peak elements. We acknowledge partial support from grant RFBR 04-02-16518.